Jai Ram Ashram - Beri

A documented stop on Adi Shankaracharya's route across India.

Jai Ram Ashram is an important spiritual institution in the sacred town of Beri, closely associated with the devotional and dharmic traditions of the region. Over time, the Ashram has evolved into a center for satsanga, service, and traditional spiritual learning.
Adi Shankaracharya is traditionally believed to have visited this sacred kṣetra during his spiritual yatra across Bharatavarsha. At the entrance of the Ashram stands a majestic vigraha of Sri Anjaneya Swami, beneath which are enshrined two additional Anjaneya Vigrahas, reflecting a rare and deeply symbolic tradition of Hanuman worship preserved within the kṣetra. The Ashram also houses a revered Īśwara Liṅga, continuing the uninterrupted current of Śiva upāsana associated with the sacred site.
A unique aspect of the Ashram tradition is the practice of Nirākāra Upāsana within a dedicated maṇṭapa inside the premises. At the center stands Sri Anjaneya, while on either side are the shrines of Chothi Sheethala Matha and Badi Sheethala Matha, both worshipped in Nirākāra form according to ancient local traditions. This confluence of Sākāra and Nirākāra worship within the same sacred space reflects the spiritual inclusiveness and depth of the kṣetra’s living traditions.
Tradition further holds that Adi Shankaracharya stayed at the very location where the present-day Veda Pāṭhaśālā now stands, sanctifying the space through his tapas and presence. The Pāṭhaśālā continues to preserve Vedic learning and recitation in the Guru–Śiṣya paramparā. Also preserved within the Ashram are sacred Pādukās associated with and blessed by Adi Shankaracharya, placed alongside Sri Anjaneya as a continuing symbol of the Acharya’s grace and spiritual legacy.